Vice President for Academic Affairs and Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College welcomes new faculty, staff for 2015-2016
By Staff | September 11, 2015
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College Timothy O'Rourke and the Virginia Wesleyan College community are pleased to welcome the following faculty and academic staff for the 2015-2016 academic year.
New Faculty
Dr. M. Annette Clayton
Assistant Professor of Social Work and Internship Director
Before joining the faculty at Virginia Wesleyan College, Dr. M. Annette Clayton was an assistant professor of social work at the United Arab Emirates University for two years. Her previous work experiences include adjunct teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University, working as a school social worker, and serving as lead school social worker for Newport News Public Schools for five years. Dr. Clayton completed her undergraduate education at Howard University where she majored in psychology and minored in zoology. She earned her MSSW degree from The University of Texas at Austin and completed her Ph.D. studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Clayton’s scholarship thus far has primarily focused on models of school social work practice with an emphasis on evidence-based practice methods, the overarching issue of practice efficacy, and the influence of risk and protective factors on adolescents’ educational outcomes. Dr. Clayton is excited about the opportunities she will have at VWC to educate future social workers and to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration.
Dr. William J. McConnell
Assistant Professor of Education
Dr. Bill McConnell received a master’s in early childhood education and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Old Dominion University. His research focuses on the teaching and learning of earth and environmental science content, environmental education, and integrated STEM education. He has over 20 state, national, and international presentations at professional conferences and several published scholarly works. He is a former award-winning elementary school teacher and Ph.D. student who has served as Co-PI or research assistant on NOAA, NSF, and foundation-funded projects.
Dr. Bryson Mortensen
Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Music
Conductor, Virginia Wesleyan Singers and Virginia Wesleyan Chorale
Dr. Bryson Mortensen previously served as artistic director of the Festival Choir of Madison where he premiered more than 15 works by living composers in four years; and director of choral activities at the University of Wisconsin–Rock County, where he brought the UW-Rock County Jazz Singers to perform at the Wisconsin Choral Director’s Association convention. He has also conducted choirs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Brigham Young University; co-founded The Heritage Singers in Champaign, Illinois; and conducted QuoQue in Provo, Utah. Bryson is an active clinician and conductor for high schools and festivals around the country. As a professional vocalist, he is a regular performer with the Virginia Chorale and has performed across the Midwest and West with choirs such as the Bach Chamber Choir and the Deseret Chamber Singers, and has been a soloist on works such as Handel’s Messiah, Carrissimi’s Jepthe, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and Schubert’s Mass in G. Bryson’s research focuses on increasing literacy and improving vocal technique in the high school and young collegiate choir as well as studying and transcribing the sketchbooks of Edward Elgar’s choral music.
Dr. William R. Pruitt
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Dr. William R. Pruitt received a B.A. in criminal justice from the University of Hartford, a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law, and a Ph.D. in criminology from Northeastern University. His research interests include genocide, crimes against humanity, and legal responses to atrocities. His research has appeared in such journals as Global Crime, International Criminal Law Review, and International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences. At his previous institute, Dr. Pruitt had several students participate in an undergraduate research fair and he hopes to continue that tradition at Virginia Wesleyan.
Ms. Sophie Rondeau
Technical Services Librarian
Prior to her arrival at Virginia Wesleyan, Sophie Rondeau worked for Syracuse University Libraries as a Music Cataloger of rare sound recordings and other music formats, and as a media librarian for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Rondeau has a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences, and has published in the CAML Review and Evidence Based Library and Information Practice. She serves on several national committees including the BCC BIBFRAME Task Force and the BCC Content Standards Subcommittee. In her leisure time, she enjoys singing, tango dancing, reading, and meditation.
Dr. Antje Verena Schwennicke
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Dr. Antje Schwennicke comes to Virginia Wesleyan from the University of Pennsylvania where she held a post-doctoral and visiting scholar position at the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship and Constitutionalism. She earned her Ph.D. at Indiana University in Bloomington after completing her master’s degree at the Free University of Berlin. Her research focuses on social policy in advanced industrial societies. Dr. Schwennicke has previously taught classes in international relations and comparative politics at Indiana University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Ursinus College, as well as study abroad courses in Prague and Berlin. As a native German, Dr. Schwennicke is excited to bring her international perspective to her classes at VWC. She enjoys her new home near the beach and is looking forward to milder winters than in Philadelphia.
Dr. Jason Squinobal
Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Music
Before coming to Virginia Wesleyan College, Dr. Jason Squinobal was the director of jazz ensembles at the University of Minnesota Morris. He earned his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology in April 2009 from the University of Pittsburgh. His dissertation entitled, “West African Music in the Music of Art Blakey, Yusef Lateef, and Randy Weston,” explores the social and cultural influences that encouraged those three musicians to incorporate elements of West African music into their compositions and jazz performance. Squinobal earned a Bachelor of Music in music education from Berklee College of Music in Boston. In high school, he attended the Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Art for two years before graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Squinobal has enjoyed meeting new colleagues and students during the first few weeks of the fall semester and is excited about the prospect of building an instrumental music program at Virginia Wesleyan.
Dr. Jill Sturts
Assistant Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies
Dr. Jill Sturts earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University where she was a visiting lecturer in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies. She developed a passion for teaching and conducting research related to student learning both inside and outside the classroom through her teaching experiences and working in collegiate recreation. She earned a B.A. in sport management and physical education (K-12) at Baldwin-Wallace College (now University), and an M.Ed. in sport administration from Bowling Green State University. Prior to her position at Indiana University, she served as assistant director of programs in the Department of Recreational Services at Ashland University in Ohio. At Virginia Wesleyan, she is excited to facilitate learning opportunities for students that broaden their views and experiences in recreation and leisure. Since moving to the area, she has enjoyed spending time with her family at the beach and learning more about Norfolk/Virginia Beach.
New Academic Affairs Staff
Ms. Christine L. Pritchard
Administrative Assistant, Center for Experiential Learning
Ms. Christine L. Pritchard attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She holds a B.S. in public health and an M.S. in counseling and educational development. Pritchard has worked in many college settings, including three years in the Dean of Students Office, Academic and Career Advising at a community college, and three years as a hall director at the University of Michigan. A native of Virginia Beach, Pritchard is happy to be back home with her family. In addition to being a wife and a mom to three kids—including twin girls—she enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending time with friends. She is excited about working at Virginia Wesleyan and looks forward to many new opportunities and relationships.
Dr. Vicky L. Seiler
Director, Adult Studies Program
Dr. Vicky L. Seiler began her role as director of the Adult Studies Program in January 2015. She comes to the Virginia Wesleyan with a B.S. in finance and human resource management from Florida Southern; an M.B.A. from Cleveland State University; and a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Western Sydney. Since 2008, she has been a research affiliate at Johns Hopkins University. She has previously served on the teaching faculty as assistant and then associate professor of marketing and advertising at Hawaii Pacific University. At Hawaii Pacific, she also chaired the program in advertising and public relations. Within the private sector, she managed a 50-person branch office of the human resources company Hamilton-Ryker in Oxford, Mississippi. She also launched a successful small business in Oahu. She is the author or co-author of more than three dozen articles in professional business and economics journals.